Unsinkable
by AlixJay
Summary: Quinn is a traveling artist from America stranded in Europe due to her many misfortunes. Her and Santana's lives change forever when they come across two tickets for the maiden voyage of the most luxurious ship in the world: The Titanic. Faberry AU, Rated M for later nudity, some language, and death.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Characters obviously aren't mine. This is loosely based off of the movie, as you will be able to tell. Didn't know if it should be considered a crossover or not, but since it doesn't have Jack/Rose, I decided it wasn't. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**x**

"Quinn, you're a idiot…" Santana whispered to the blonde haired girl. "You bet everything we have!"

"When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose." she replied, blowing smoke to the center pile of change, which now included Quinn's most valuable possession: her watch.

Santana's eyes stayed wide while she sat back in her old bar chair, working her lips as she glanced over her hand again. The two Italians looked at each other and whispered for a moment before one nodded and the other reached into her bag, pulling out two small pieces of paper.

Quinn and Santana leaned over the table to see what their opponents had just wagered. The darker girl choked on air when she saw what they were, while quietly Quinn cleared her throat and sat back. Nodding to the Italian girls, she signaled for them to go first in showing their hands.

"Two pair?" Quinn looked between her hand and the two Italian girls across from her. She leaned over to Santana as the darker girl folded her cards, shaking her head in defeat.

Taking a deep breath, Quinn sighed and began rubbing her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Santana… You wont be able to see your ma anytime-"

"What do you mean I wont be able to see my mother?!" Santana flung her chair out from underneath of her; eyes narrowed at the blonde.

Laying her cards down, Quinn's lips turned up into a smile. "Because we're going to America."

"You _crazy bitch_!" Santana screamed as she picked up the tickets and waved them in the air. "We're going to America!"

Quinn grabbed her watch along with the rest of the winnings and stood up, beaming from ear to ear. "We're going to America."

Once aboard the Titanic, Quinn and Santana race to the observation deck. Quinn began waving frantically at the people on the dock below. Santana looked at her with an arched brow. "You know people down there?"

"No." Quinn replied, never missing a beat with her hand. "But that's not the point."

The pair began screaming alongside the other passengers until the ship left port. After a few minutes, they decided to go look for their room in third class.

"360…360…" Quinn kept repeating to herself after each turn and step down the hallways. "360!" she finally spotted their room.

Sticking her hand out to the other women in the room, she introduced herself. "Quinn. Quinn Fabray."

Suddenly, Santana rushed past the blonde and jumped onto the top of the free bunk with a large grin across her face.

"Hey!" Quinn yelled. "Who says you get top bunk, huh?" However, she couldn't stay mad at Santana. After all, they were aboard the most luxurious ship in the world, Quinn didn't have time to be upset at anyone.

x

"I don't know what all the fuss is about, this ship doesn't seem all that glamourous."

"There are many things you can be blasé about, Rachel, but not the Titanic!" Finn gushed, gesturing to his surroundings. "Your daughter is far to difficult to impress, Shelby." He said as he escorted his mother-in-law into her suite.

"Please, put those over there." Rachel instructed the staffers.

"I still can't believe you convinced me to buy those silly finger paintings…" Finn chuckled with one hand in his coat pocket.

"You just don't know fine art when you see it."

"At least they didn't cost much." Finn checked the time. "We really should leave this up to the staff."

"If you have somewhere to be, you're free to go."

Rolling his eyes at his fiance, Finn left for his room.

x

"Look down there!" Quinn yelled, trying to be louder than the sound of the ship tearing through the ocean. A large pod of dolphins were jumping out of the water as if they were playing with the ships wake.

Santana stared off into the horizon, taking in the breeze that their speed was creating. Quinn climbed onto the front railings and spread her arms as wide as she could. Closing her eyes, she let her mind make her believe that she was soaring freely over the ocean.

Just an hour ago, she was a poor artist living in the streets of England without so much as ten bucks to her name. The only things she traveled with were her watch, her sketchbook, and her best friend. Most days, Quinn didn't make enough money to eat and Santana was forced to gamble with trinkets she found tossed aside in garbage cans. Now, they are both aboard the Titanic, a ship so pristine that they couldn't have thought of anything nicer in their wildest dreams.

A few minutes later, the pair decided to sit on the deck and relax in the sun. Quinn brought her sketchbook from their room and began drawing an older man with who appeared to be his granddaughter. Her intense concentration was broken when she overheard Santana talking with another girl about the origin of the ship.

"Just great…" The woman huffed as two handlers walked past with handfuls of dogs on leashes. "First class has their dogs walked on _our_ deck to take a shit."

"It lets us know where we rank in the world." Quinn chimed in, putting her charcoal down.

"Like we could forget?" The woman chuckled. "I'm Britt Pierce." she said, leaning forward with her arm extended toward Quinn.

"Quinn. Quinn Fabray." she returned the gesture. "You've already met Santana."

Britt nodded as she looked over to Quinn's sketchbook. "Do you make any money with your drawings?"

"Hello?" Britt waved her hand in front of the other blonde before turning around to see what Quinn was staring at. When she saw a beautiful, lone brunette up on the first class deck, Britt faced Quinn again and laughed. "Awe, looks like your friends in love."

Santana snapped her fingers by Quinn's head, but the girl still did not move her gaze. The darker girl laughed before returning to her conversation with Britt about the _true_ makers of the ship.

x

"Ladies, might I introduce Mr. Evans. He built this magnificent ship from the ground up." Mr. Abrams gestured to the older man approaching their table.

"Oh, I may have knocked her together, but the idea was all yours." Sam Evans returned as he sat down.

Bored, Rachel tuned the men out and lit a cigarette. Shelby looked at her daughter with a disgusted face. "You know I don't like that."

Rachel turned to her mother and slowly blew smoke in the older woman's direction. Suddenly, she felt a jerk on her hand and she realized that Finn grabbed the cigarette from her, putting it out in one of the ash trays.

"She knows." he muttered to Shelby. "She just chooses not to remember."

Clearing her throat, Shelby looked to Mr. Abrams. "I've been wondering, who thought of the name Titanic?"

"Well, I wanted it to convey size." He began. "Simply, size means stability, luxury, and above all, strength."

"Personally, I've always wondered why men were so fascinated with the size of their _things_." Rachel stated nonchalantly, causing her mothers eyes to bulge.

"Rachel." Shelby scolded, but lowered her voice to a whisper. "What has gotten into you?"

"Excuse me." The younger girl got up from her chair and exited to the deck. Leaning against the railing, she looked out over the lowered decks to the ocean. She never liked being in a room with _those_ types of people. Even though she was wealthy herself, she didn't enjoy the company of the privileged, who constantly spewed mindless chatter amongst each other. In fact, she was convinced that by dinner time, if she were to disappear, no one would notice she was gone… Not even her fiance, Finn.

Finally able to break from her mothers hold and the watchful eye of her fiance, Rachel ran as fast as she could in her evening gown toward the back of the ship. Every deck level was almost completely empty. Rachel assumed it was because first class passengers were still finishing dinner and the others were most likely drinking in their leisure rooms.

By the time she reached the back of the ship, she was winded from both running and sobbing uncontrollably. Stepping closer to the edge, she looked down at the propellors for a moment before climbing the railing and leaning out over the water. Her dress was blowing freely in the breeze and Rachel knew that if she wanted to end her life, that this was the most peaceful chance she had.

"Don't do it!"

Confused, Rachel twisted her body to look at who belonged to the mystery voice. Behind her, she saw a blonde woman in faded rags standing still, watching her every move.

"Don't do it." the blonde repeated.

"Don't come any closer!" Rachel yelled.

"Come on, just give me your hand…" the mystery woman pleaded, reaching her arm out toward Rachel. "I'll pull you back over."

"No! Stay where you are! I mean it!" Rachel ordered, but when she saw the blonde inching closer, she threatened. "I'll let go!"

Taking one last drag of her cigarette, the blonde carefully threw it overboard. Now, standing against the railing just a few feet away, the mystery woman put her hands in her pockets. "No you wont." she said nonchalantly.

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at the strange woman. "What do you mean no I wont? Don't tell me what I will and will not do! You don't know me!"

"You would have done it already."

Taken back by the woman's remarks, Rachel focused her attention again on the ocean below. "You… You're distracting me! Go away!"

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"And why not?"

"I'm involved now."

Rachel turned her head to face the blonde again. Her expression softened slightly.

"If you go in… Well, I'll have to go in after you." she said, taking her jacket off and throwing it on a nearby bench.

Rachel chuckled at the obviously insane woman. "Don't be absurd! You'll be killed."

"I'm a good swimmer." The blonde said without skipping a beat as she bent down to untie her boot laces.

"The fall alone will kill you…" Rachel voice drifted away as if she was simply thinking aloud.

"Yeah, it would hurt, but I'm more concerned about the water being as cold as it is."

Arching her brow, the brunette broke her gaze again. "How cold?"

"Freezing. Maybe a few degrees over." the mystery woman shrugged. "I've fallen through thin ice before… It hits you like a thousand knives all over your body. You can't breathe, you can't think… Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in after you."

Staring blankly, Rachel began to wonder who the hell this woman though she was. "You're crazy!" she blurted out.

"With all due respect, I'm not the one on that side of the railing."

Rachel looked down at the water again. The propellors were slicing the ocean directly below, causing the brunette to tremble. She thought about how if she didn't die from the jump, she would most likely hit one of them. Even worse, she would hit one, still survive, but be left to die slowly in the freezing cold waters.

Realizing she was about to make a huge mistake, Rachel took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't stand to look out to the ocean any longer, it was time she got off the railing. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw that the blonde had extended her hand to Rachel, offering to pull her back over.

Slowly letting go of the railing with her opposite hand, Rachel grabbed onto the blondes tightly. Instantly feeling a sense of security, as if she had already re boarded the ship, she turned to face the other woman.

Rachel was met with a gentle smile and soft, hazel eyes. The pair remained still for a moment before the blonde spoke. "Quinn Fabray."

"Rachel Corcoran." the brunette stuttered.

"I'll have to get you to write that one down." Quinn joked, causing Rachel to chuckle softly. "Come on…" she whispered, using both hands to begin pulling the brunette over the railing.

Rachel looked down as she lifted her foot to the next bar when suddenly, her shoe got snagged on her dress and she slipped. Letting out a cry, Rachel dangled helplessly in Quinn's grasp.

The blonde was pulled swiftly against the railing, knocking the wind out of her, but she managed to keep her hold onto Rachel. Quinn looked down in horror as she tried not to lose her own footing.

Regaining her composure, Quinn caught Rachel's panicked eyes. "I've got you." she reassured the brunette. "I wont let go."

Feeling another odd sense of security from this woman she hardly knows, Rachel focused her energy from screaming to helping Quinn pull her up. Once she got on top of the railing, the blonde wrapped her arms around Rachel and pulled her the rest of the way onto the deck.

Tightening her arms around Quinn, Rachel buried her head into the nook between the blondes neck and shoulder. Her whole body was shaking from fear, the cold, or both, so Quinn reached over to the bench where her jacket had been laying and put it around Rachel. Rubbing her hands up and down the brunettes arms, Quinn tried to calm her down.

Rachel finally broke away and looked into the eyes of her savior. Quinn let a smile creep across her face as her heart began to race. The woman before her was more beautiful than she remembered earlier on the deck. Her eyes had so much depth behind them, and while her hair was a mess from the ordeal they just went through, it was still perfect to Quinn.

Their moment of peace didn't last long, though. Rachel's screams and pleas for help drew the attention of many deck hands as a crowd of them rushed the pair. "Are you alright, miss?" They directed to Rachel, ignoring Quinn's presence until three men in wealthy attire appeared.

"Rachel, darling! Are you alright?" Finn asked worriedly, flinging Quinn's rags off of his fiance and replacing it with his own coat. Turning his attention to the blonde, the man stormed in her direction. "And what do you think you were doing? Putting your filthy hands and clothes on _my_ fiance?"

"Finn… Stop!" Rachel pleaded from behind him. "It was an accident."

Finn turned to look at Rachel, still standing within inches of Quinn. "Accident?" he said mockingly.

"Well, yes." Rachel blinked her eyes, quickly coming up with a story that would both save herself and have Quinn as her savior. "You see, I was leaning a bit too far over the railing to look at the… uh… propellors and I-I slipped."

Finn arched his eyebrow as his future wife. "You…" he chuckled to himself, then to the other men around him. "_My_ fiance? Looking at propellors?"

Rachel nodded with a small smile before she continued with her story. "Quinn, she happened to be sleeping on the bench over there when she heard my cries for help. Finn, if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't _have_ a fiance anymore."

Looking intently at Rachel, Finn fumbled with his hands in his pockets. He then focused his attention back on the blonde woman beside them. "Well, in that case, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I'll see that you'll be properly rewarded." Finn snapped his fingers at one of his staff. "I think a twenty should do the trick."

"Is that _all_ my life is worth to you?" Rachel huffed.

"Of course not…" Finn smiled at his fiance before turning to Quinn. "How about you join us for dinner tomorrow evening?"

Quinn stared blankly at the man, not knowing if she should accept or respectfully decline.

"That way, you can tell our group about your heroic tale" Finn smiled again. "I insist."

Looking past Finn to Rachel, the brunette nodded for Quinn to accept the dinner offer. Knowing that Rachel wanted her there, there was no way Quinn could decline at another chance of seeing her again.

"I'll be there." the blonde smiled as politely as she could. The group made their way off the deck while Quinn stood silently and watched. She had already known that this trip would change her life, but now she thought it would change in a whole other way.

x

**A/N: Thank you for reading this story! Please review, I'd like to know what you guys think so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As I've stated at the beginning of the first chapter, this story is loosely based off of the movie. For those of you that haven't fully read the summary, this story includes [somewhere in the fic] some nudity, minor language, and death. Yes, death. After all, it's a fan fiction about the Titanic. I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

"What is wrong with you?" Santana asked, hanging from her bunk, looking down at her starry eyed friend.

"Can you keep a secret?" Quinn whispered, inching closer to Santana. The darker girls arched her eyebrow and nodded. "Last night… I ran into _the girl_."

Santana hopped down to the floor and kneeled in front of Quinn. "_The girl?_" She repeated. Searching her mind for who Quinn could have been talking about, her eyes grew wide. "_The _girl?!"

"Rachel." Quinn blushed as Santana joined her on the bed.

"Did you talk to her? Did she talk to you?"

"She…" Quinn sighed. " She was leaning over the edge."

Sitting away from the blonde, Santana narrowed her eyes. She didn't quite understand what Quinn meant, and the other girl knew it.

"She was going to jump."

Santana breathed heavily and laughed at her friend. "You sure do like the crazy ones!"

"She's not crazy…" Quinn defended.

Rolling her eyes, Santana got up and put on her coat. "Come on, you." she mumbled. "We're to meet Britt on deck."

A few minutes later, Quinn was walking along their classes deck with Santana and Britt, but her mind was had not gone away from the thought of Rachel.

"What do you think, Q?"

"Huh?"

"She's still thinking about that rich girl…" Santana smirked.

"Her name is Rachel."

"You don't even know her." Santana said softly. "Just let her go."

"You two hardly know each other." Quinn gestured to the other girls.

"That's different." Santana stated, blushing slightly.

"How exactly is that different?" Quinn stopped walking and put her hands on her hips.

"Because, Q, we're of the same…" The darker girl took a deep breath, trying to think of the right word to use. "Class. The only place a girl like her and a girl like you can ever _fall in love_ is in a picture."

Quinn shoved her hands in her pockets and looked down briefly. She hated that her friend was right… There was absolutely no chance that someone like Rachel would ever take to a girl like her. But still, the blonde couldn't get her mind to think about anything else.

"I-I'm gonna go." Quinn sighed, turned on her heel and began in the other direction, leaving Britt and Santana to walk alone.

Once on the other side of the ship, Quinn took a seat on one of the benches and opened her sketchbook. From memory, she started to draw Rachel. She began with her unforgettable jawline and moved flowingly to the cheekbones and then to the woman's most beautiful eyes.

Just then, a shadow cast over top of her and blocked her sunlight. Irritated, Quinn lowered her voice. "Hey man, do you mind?"

"Excuse me?" A soft voice spoke. Quinn had heard this voice before. Slamming her sketchbook closed and bringing it to her side as she stood up, the blonde faced the woman she had saved just last night.

"I-I didn't mean to-"

"I'm sure." Rachel arched her eyebrow.

The pair stood in silence for a moment before Quinn cleared her throat. "What are you doing down here?"

"What do you mean?"

"This is the third class deck…" Quinn breathed out. "Don't you belong up there with the rest of your people?"

Ignoring the rude tone in Quinn's statement, Rachel straightened her posture. "I'm here to properly thank you for what you did last night."

"You're welcome." Quinn huffed, turning to walk away.

"Ms. Fabray…"

The blonde froze mid step. Quinn knew she should just ignore the other woman and keep walking. There was no way anything good could come out of talking to the brunette any longer. If she were to continue talking to Rachel, her feelings would grow stronger and it would be harder to let her go…

"Quinn." the blonde corrected as she faced Rachel again. Even though she knew Rachel was trouble, she was already too far in to ever let go.

"Quinn… You didn't have go along with my outlandish story, but you did." Rachel stepped closer to the blonde, who continued to avoid eye contact. "I-I know what you must be thinking… _Poor little rich girl, she must be crazy_-"

"No." the other woman interrupted. "That's not what I was thinking at all."

"I-It wasn't?" Rachel asked, shocked at both being interrupted and Quinn's denial of the obvious.

"What I was thinking was…" Quinn cleared her throat. "This beautiful girl must have everything she could ever want right at her fingertips…"

Rachel rolled her eyes, convinced that Quinn was mocking her. Quinn sensed that Rachel was about to leave, so the blonde extended her hand and grabbed gently on the other woman's arm.

"I was thinking about what could have possibly happened to a woman like you for you to want to jump off the back of a ship as if it was your only way out."

Taking a deep breath and lowering her gaze, Rachel felt the now familiar sense of security that always seemed to come with the other woman's touch.

"I-I… It's _everything_." Rachel sighed as she walked over to the railing. Quinn followed the woman and listened intently. "My whole world is moving so much faster than I can keep up. My father leaving my mother and I completely bankrupt, forcing me to find a suitable man to marry before word gets out that we're broke, the man that my mom insists be the one is…"

Rachel paused for a moment. She had almost forgotten where she was and who she was talking to. Since her fathers death, she hadn't spoken about her horrible situation to anyone other than her mother, and those conversations were not welcomed.

"Do you love him?"

"Pardon me?" Rachel asked, taken back.

"Do you love him?" Quinn repeated.

Rachel huffed and eyed the blonde woman. Had she forgotten her place, as well? "You're being awfully rude."

"It's a simple question." Quinn laughed. "You either love him or you don't."

"How _dare_ you!" Rachel stepped away from the railing. "Who do you think you are, asking me a question like that!"

"Why can't you just answer the question?" the blonde followed Rachel's moves.

"This is absurd! You don't know me, and I don't know you…" Touching her hand to her temple, Rachel chuckled awkwardly.

"I'd like to get to know you." Quinn said seriously, standing within inches of the other girl, who was now flustered.

"Do you forget your place?" Rachel breathed out, quickly wanting to withdraw her words when she saw the pleasant emotion drain from Quinn's face. Before she could apologize, the blonde took several steps back.

"I think it is _you_ who has forgotten your place." Quinn fired back harshly. "And I think it's time you return to _your_ people and leave us street rats be. Besides, you stink."

Rachel stiffened at the remark. It was impossible of her to have an unpleasant odor. "Take it back." she threatened, closing the gap between the two of them.

"Or what?" Quinn narrowed her eyes to Rachel.

"I-I…" the brunette stuttered, looking over Quinn's body for something to take. She spotted a chain peaking out of one of the blondes pockets. Reaching quickly, she snatched it and held it away from Quinn. "I'll throw this over."

Quinn's body jumped, but she regained herself with her fists balled. "Give that back!"

"First," Rachel smirked, pulling the chain closer to her body. "Take back your comment."

"Fine, you don't smell." The blonde sighed. "Can you please give me my watch back?"

Rachel looked down at the trinket she was still holding. It was an old, beat up pocket watch with a long silver linked chain attached to it. The brunette slowly reached her hand out, palm up, offering the watch back to Quinn.

"Thank you." Quinn tucked it back into her pocket.

The pair stood silently for a moment before Quinn began laughing softly. Rachel looked at her with an arched brow.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing…" Quinn smiled as she stared into the brunettes eyes. Rachel's lips turned into a smile and she began to laugh, as well.

Before the pair knew it, three hours had passed and they circled the ships deck nine times, ending on the first class level. The sun was beginning to set, so they decided to stop on the western side continue their conversation.

"Where are you going to go when you get to America?" Rachel asked.

Quinn thought for a moment. "LA. The Santa Monica Pier."

"Why there?"

"It's where I first started to draw for money." Quinn recalled, looking out over the ocean. "Ten cents a piece."

Rachel studied the other woman's features. She admired everything about Quinn, or at least everything she was learning about her. After a moment, Rachel sighed. "Why can't I be more like you?"

Quinn smiled at the other girl briefly before returning her gaze to the ocean.

"Say we'll go there sometime…" Rachel's eyes brightened. "Even if we only just talk about it."

"No, we'll do it." Quinn faced the brunette and smiled widely. "We'll drink cheap beer, I'll catch you some fish for dinner, then we'll ride horses along the beach."

Rachel laughed at Quinn's crazy ideas.

"Oh," Quinn leaned in toward Rachel. "And none of that side saddle stuff you rich people do."

"You don't mean…" Rachel touched her chest and laughed again. "One leg, on each side?"

Quinn nodded her head, but Rachel looked at the blonde as if _she_ were the crazy one this time. Rachel's lips slowly turned into a shy smile.

"Can you show me?"

"I'll tell you what." Quinn narrowed her eyes and touched her hand with Rachel's. "You come to the pier with me, I show you anything you want."

Rachel stared back and forth between Quinn's perfectly hazel eyes. The women were merely inches away from each other. This closeness combined with Quinn's hand still placed on hers made Rachel's heart beat faster than ever before.

Their moment was interrupted by a loud clearing throat behind them. Rachel spun quickly to see her mother alongside three of her rich friends. Quinn turned to see why Rachel had gotten a worried look on her face.

Shelby raised her head and looked down her nose at Quinn. The blonde shoved her hands in her pockets, and lowered her head slightly.

"Mother!" Rachel exclaimed, taking Shelby's arm. "May I introduce you to Quinn Fabray."

"Charmed, I'm sure." the older woman said coldly.

Suddenly, they heard trumpets signaling that it was about time for dinner. "Shall we go dress?" Rachel turned toward her mother again. Shelby nodded and as they began to walk away, Rachel looked over her shoulder to Quinn. "See you at dinner."

x

"Shit shit shit…" Quinn kept repeating as she dug around in her luggage for an evening dress to wear. Santana and Britt entered the room to see Quinn throwing clothing left and right.

"Hey!" Santana yelled. "What's gotten into you?"

"I-I can't… I don't have anything to wear…" the blonde mumbled.

"Wear to what?" Britt asked.

"Dinner…" Quinn sighed, standing up straight and looking between her friends. "With Rachel."

"What?!" Santana's eyes grew wide as she grabbed Quinn's arms. Quinn shook the darker girl away and continued her search through her bags. "When did this happen?"

"Last night."

"And you didn't tell us?"

Quinn stopped again, just long enough to mumble something before returning to her frantic work.

"What did you just say?" Santana held her friend again, this time so that Quinn couldn't move away.

"Her fiance invited me." the blonde mumbled again, but loud enough for Britt and Santana to hear.

"She's engaged?" Santana let go. "You really _are_ insane!"

"This is why I didn't tell you…"

"Q." Britt stepped forward. "Stop." Dropping one of her nicer dress shirts onto the bed, Quinn faced the other blonde. "You don't really think you have a chance with her, do you?"

"After I left you guys today…" Quinn began. "Rachel found me. She came onto _our_ deck and found _me._ We talked for hours, walking around the whole ship… She even took me to _their_ deck."

Britt looked over to Santana, who was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed. It was clear that the darker girl was fully against Quinn's love affair. Britt, however, was a sucker for romance.

"Come with me."

"Britt, I can't! I need to find something to wear… They're probably already on their way to dinner!"

"I have something that might fit you." the other blonde smiled.

x

Smoothing out her dress, Quinn made her way to the first class section of the ship. Britt had told her that after she entered, there would be a main staircase leading down into the dining area. Quinn was instructed to wait there until Rachel and her group arrived.

Quinn took a deep breath and as she made her way to the glass door, a man behind opened it and greeted her with a slight nod of the head. "Miss." he stated. Nodding in response, Quinn walked to the edge of the staircase and looked down. She had never seen a staircase quite like this one.

Lifting up her dress, she stepped forward and began down the stairs. Quinn tried her hardest to remember what Britt had told her.

_Walk as if you're gliding on air._

Once she got to the landing, Quinn stopped to admire the clock and the hand crafted artwork surrounding it. The blonde was amazed at how many people were passing this clock without even glancing at it's uniqueness.

Continuing her decent, Quinn stood next to one of the pillars and looked around. She couldn't see Rachel anywhere when suddenly, Quinn heard the woman's fiance from behind her.

Quinn smiled kindly at Finn and Rachel's mother, but the pair passed her as if she wasn't even there. Taken back, but not all that surprised at their rudeness, Quinn wondered where Rachel was. Had she already made her way down to dinner?

Standing at the top of the stairs, Rachel watched as Quinn continued to look around the room. The brunette's breath hitched at the sight of the other woman. Until then, she had only seen Quinn in usual third class attire, but here the blonde stood in a beautiful evening gown.

As Rachel made her way down the stairs, Quinn caught a glimpse of her from the corner of her eye. Smiling at the brunette, Quinn reached out for Rachel's hand and brought it up to her lips, gently kissing it.

Rachel's cheeks started to become rosy as she watched the blonde's fingers release her hand. "I saw that in a movie once…" Quinn smiled up to Rachel. "I always wanted to do it."

Rachel laughed at how adorable Quinn was being and accepted the woman's arm when she extended it toward her.

Walking up to her fiance and her mother, Rachel released Quinn's arm and cleared her throat. "Darling? Surely you remember Ms. Fabray."

"Indeed." Finn said with is brow raised. "You look absolutely stunning tonight. Hard to believe you're the same woman from yesterday." he smiled as he escorted Shelby toward the second staircase. Quinn lowered her head briefly. It was silly of her to think that even for a moment, she could be treated as an equal.

After over an hour, Rachel and her party had finished their dinner. The men had been talking about the great ship all night while the women simply laughed along with their various comments.

Like Finn, Shelby refused to accept Quinn as an equal. "So, Ms. Fabray, tell us about your accommodations down in steerage."

"Certainly better conditions than I'm used to."

"Ms. Fabray is joining us from the third class. She assisted my fiance last night." Finn chimed in.

"It turns out that she is a fine artist." Rachel smiled to the blonde.

"Well, Rachel and I certainly differ on our opinions of fine art." Finn laughed. Quinn breathed out slowly, trying to hold back her emotions. One thing that she learned from these people is that you never show what you feel, you only make others feel inferior.

"Join me in a Brandy, gentlemen?" said one of the heavier men at the table. With that, all the men stood up and began for the door.

Finn stopped at Rachel's chair and leaned down. "Want me to walk you to your cabin?"

"No, Quinn can escort me." she replied kindly, smiling at the blonde.

"Alright, then." Finn kissed her on the cheek. "Will I be seeing you later?"

"If I'm not too tired." Rachel shrugged, causing Finn to look displeased as he followed the other men.

"Ready?" Rachel returned her gaze to Quinn, who nodded in response.

On the way out of the dining area, Quinn leaned toward Rachel and whispered. "How would you like to go to a _real_ party?"

The brunettes eyes grew wide with excitement and wonder as Quinn took her hand and lead her toward the entry for the lower levels.

As the pair were winding throughout the halls, Rachel looked around at the other people. There were as many as four or five children crammed in rooms with their parents that were the size of closet aboard the ship. She had never seen what it was like to live with less than she had. Suddenly, Quinn turned sharply into one of the rooms.

_360 _she read on the door.

"Hey!" a darker girl yelled, sitting up from the top of one of the bunks. "You're back early-" Freezing in mid sentence, she looked over to Rachel with narrowed, curious eyes, then she moved her gaze to Quinn. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"No." Quinn laughed as her friend and the other blonde jumped down. "Rachel, this is-"

"The name's Santana." the darker girl said, sticking her hand in Rachel's direction. "This is Britt." she motioned with the other.

"Nice to meet you both." Rachel nodded.

"We'll leave you two alone." Britt smiled, taking Santana's hand and heading for the door. "You coming by later?"

"In a minute… after I…"

Just as the brunette looked to see what Quinn was doing, Quinn straightened up, tossing a change of clothes on the lower bunk.

"Can you get this for me?" Quinn pointed to the laces in the back of her dress. Rachel looked over her shoulder where Britt and Santana were just standing, but no one was there anymore. "Rachel?"

Facing the blonde again, Rachel stepped forward and began pulling at the strings, watching as the dress started to slowly get more loose on the other woman.

"Thanks." Quinn breathed as she shook herself free of the dress, standing before Rachel in her undergarments. The brunette felt her cheeks blush, so she spun away while Quinn finished getting dressed.

Going to grab her clothes off of her bed, Quinn noticed Rachel had turned away from her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah… Uh huh." Rachel mumbled without moving her head. Instead, she began to twirl a lose piece of hair that was dangling around her neck.

Quinn chuckled to herself as she threw on her slacks and buttoned up her shirt. Without warning, the blonde came up behind Rachel and grabbed her around the waist briefly. "Ready?"

Rachel jumped at the touch, but took Quinn's hand as they went off in the direction of the music.

x


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Your reviews are too kind, really! Thank you all so much for the feedback! :D**

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Rachel could hardly keep her eyes open in the sun room for tea. Finn noticed something was off with his fiance, especially since she never stopped at his room the night before.

"I had hoped you would come to me last night." he said softly, lowering his cup.

"I was tired." she replied, taking a sip.

"Your… _exertions… _below deck last night couldn't have possibly contributed."

"I see you had your man slave follow me last night. How typical." Rachel sat her cup down. "You know that if I'm to be your wife-"

"_If_?" Finn let out a small chuckle.

"I'm your _fiance_ and if you don't start treating me properly, I'll-"

"You'll what, Rachel?" Finn leaned back in his chair.

Clearing her throat and stiffening her posture, Rachel continued. "I wont become your wife."

Finn rubbed his temple briefly before he threw his chair out from underneath of them, picked up the table, and tossed it across the room. Startled, Rachel jumped back in her chair and stared up at Finn.

The man bent down in front of her and grabbed her face in his hand. "You listen here, you _will_ become my wife and if you continue to make a fool out of me by slumping around with people like that Quinn girl, I'll make an example out of you. Do I make myself clear?"

Rachel remained quiet, but nodded her head in agreement.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me." He stood up, smoothed her hair, and walked out of the room.

Rachel collapsed on the floor in tears as one of the maids came rushing to her side. Finn had never gotten so angry with her before, and no one had ever made her feel so terrified in her entire life.

"I'm so sorry…" she sobbed to the maid before returning to her own chambers, shielding her eyes.

x

Quinn went to the chapel where she knew Rachel would be. Looking through the double doors, Quinn was approached by two men in staff uniforms.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you can't be in here."

"Just…" Quinn tried to look past them. "I want to talk to someone."

The workers repeatedly told Quinn to leave when a tall, muscular man walked up to the three of them.

"Ms. Fabray." he said in a deep voice.

"Thank god…" Quinn sighed. "Look, he'll tell you who I am."

"Mr. Hudson appreciates all that you've done, but we will no longer require your services." Noah coldly stated, holding his hand toward Quinn. The blonde looked down at it and noticed there were two fifty US dollars.

"I don't want your money." Quinn seethed.

Noah nodded, taking one bill in each hand and turning it over to each of the staff members. "See to it that Ms. Fabray makes it safely back to her quarters."

"Yes sir." replied both staffers with large grins on their faces. "Come this way, Miss." they said as each of the men grabbed one of her arms and led her away.

A few minutes later, they arrived at her room. Without saying another word, the staffers left her. Quinn opened the door to her room to find Britt and Santana sitting on the bed.

"Go to church today?" Santana joked, looking over Quinn's attire.

"They acted like they didn't even know who I was." the blonde sat on her bed and put her head in her hands.

"Who, Rachel?" Britt asked.

"No, her fiance's henchman and the doormen."

"Did you at least get to see her?"

Quinn shook her head no.

"Well, I think you should go back."

"I can't. Noah probably told the other staffers to keep an eye out for me."

"Here." Santana sighed and jumped off her bed, she started digging through her things. After a moment of searching, the darker girl threw a trench coat and a hat to Quinn.

The blonde looked down at the disguise and laughed. "You expect me to get away with this? They'll still know I'm a girl!"

As soon as Quinn finished her sentence, Santana held up her finger and went back to her bag. She stood up once again with scissors in one and a comb in the other.

"You have _got _to be kidding me…"

"I think it's a brilliant idea." Britt beamed, hopping down and running her hands through Quinn's hair.

Quinn looked between the pair and eventually gave up. "Just… Don't make me look like a fool."

x

"Mr. Evans, correct me if I'm wrong, but I did the math and it seems as though there aren't enough life boats for all the passengers."

"You are quite right, miss." Mr. Evans smiled. "Only about half of what we would need, but I can assure you, there is nothing to worry about."

"After all, this is an _unsinkable_ ship!" Finn chimed in, walking past his fiance with Shelby on his arm.

"Now," Mr. Evans continued. "If we keep going we'll be able to see the engine room before afternoon tea."

Rachel paused for a moment studying the life boats before she turned to follow her group. Suddenly, she felt someone tug on her arm. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Quinn dressed in a ridiculous coat and top hat.

"What are you… Your hair..." the brunette began to say before Quinn hushed her, leading her though a door.

When Quinn saw that the room was completely empty, she focused her attention back to Rachel.

"I can't be here with you, Quinn."

"I-I needed to talk to you."

"Quinn…" Rachel looked down at her trembling hands. "I'm engaged. I'm marrying Finn. I love him." She brought her gaze to Quinn.

"Rachel, you're no picnic. You're a spoiled little brat, but under that, you're the most amazing woman I've ever known and-"

"Quinn…" Rachel tried to turned away, but the blonde stopped her.

"Let me try to get this out!" Quinn paused, trying to calm herself down. "I have no money to my name and I have nothing to offer you, I understand that, but I'm too involved now. You jump, I jump, remember? I can't let you go until I'm sure that you'll be alright. That's all that I want."

Rachel stared directly into Quinn's eyes. "I'm fine. I'll be fine, really."

"You see, I don't think so." Quinn raised her hand to Rachel's face. The touch subconsciously made Rachel's eyes flutter shut and back open again. Any feeling of being terrified by Finn before had vanished, as long as Quinn was there with her.

"They've got you trapped, Rachel!" Quinn removed her hand and gestured toward the other woman's group. Instantly, Rachel came back to her terrifying reality and her eyes began to cloud.

"You're going to _die_ if you don't break free. Maybe not right away because you're strong, but sooner or later…" Quinn ran her hand across the brunettes face again, intensely holding her attention. "That fire that I love about you, Rachel… That fire is going to burn out."

Rachel's heart jumped as soon as Quinn let that word leave her lips. The security she felt from the blondes touch suddenly felt foreign to her. How was it possible that one woman could love another woman in the way that Quinn's eyes meant? Everything about what they were doing was now wrong, and Rachel didn't want any more part of it.

"It's not your responsibility to save me, Quinn." the brunette said coldly, causing Quinn to back away.

The pair stared at each other for a moment before Quinn swallowed hard and bowed her head. "You're right." She sighed, bringing her gaze back up to Rachel. "Only you can do that."

Rachel remained still, trembling for possibly all the wrong reasons. She didn't know what she thought anymore. Finn had always been good to her, and it was her fault for the outburst he had that morning. He was the only way her and her family would be able to hold their heads high around the people they have been keeping company, and if she were to go with Quinn, her family name would be forever tarnished.

"I'm going back." Rachel breathed softly. "Please, leave me alone." Bowing her head, she walked past Quinn to catch up to her group.

They hadn't even noticed she was gone as she found them preparing to go into the tea room.

x

Quinn had been standing at the front of the ship for what seemed like hours, but was realistically only one. The sun was beginning to set and she knew that the bell for dinner would be sounded soon. Leaning up from the railing, she shoved her hands in her pockets and turned around.

"Hello, Quinn." Rachel smiled, her hands gently holding the shawl around her shoulders as it blew in the wind. "I-I changed my mind."

Quinn's heart jumped into her throat at those words, but she smiled playfully at the other girl. "What took you so long?" Holding her hand out, she continued. "Come here. I want to show you something."

Rachel took her hand and allowed Quinn to lead her to the front railing. "Close your eyes."

"But-" Rachel tried to protest. Quinn brought her index finger up to the woman's lips to silence her.

"Do you trust me?"

Looking into Quinn's hazel eyes, Rachel nodded and closed hers. Quinn placed both of their hands on the railing and instructed Rachel to step up. Rachel did so twice before she could feel Quinn get behind her and bring her arms stretched out to the sides.

"Now…" Quinn whispered into Rachel's ear. "Open your eyes."

Rachel slowly opened them and stared out to the ocean. Standing on the rail, the boat was completely out of view and it seemed as though they were floating. Down below, Rachel could see dolphins playing and jumping above the water.

"Quinn!" the brunette yelled, a smile forming across her face. "Quinn, I'm flying!"

Marveling at the view as the sun sat on top of the water, Rachel's eyes began to tear up. She had never felt as free as she did just then and even though she could fall at any moment, she wasn't scared. Rachel had put all of her trust into Quinn's hands. For the second time since they met, Quinn was the lone thing standing between life and death for Rachel. She realized that this wouldn't be the last time, and Rachel was completely at ease with that.

x

"Will this light do?"

"What?" Quinn honestly didn't hear Rachel. She was too distracted by the beautifully crafted walls in the brunettes sitting room.

"Artists need light, don't they?"

"Oh… Yes, of course." the blonde smiled softly, continuing to admire the perfection that was Rachel's staying quarters. Quinn didn't realize that Rachel had gone off to a separate room until she came back, wearing only a robe.

"The last thing I need is another portrait of me looking like a porcelain doll." Rachel began, untying her robe. "I want you to draw me freely, without anything to hide who I am."

Quinn's eyes grew wide as the brunette dropped her covering down to her ankles. Standing before her was already the most beautiful woman she had ever met, and now, that same beautiful girl was completely naked. Quinn swallowed hard and forced herself to remain professional.

"L-Lay on the bed…er… couch, over there." she directed. Rachel giggled softly at the blondes shyness.

"Here?" she playfully asked. Quinn nodded, licked her lips, and straightened in her chair. The blonde instructed Rachel to lay with her body in a particular was before she started drawing.

Rachel watched the other woman as she intently stared back at her. "So serious." she joked, but Quinn didn't laugh. She was too focused on conveying the beautiful soul in front of her onto the blank piece of paper.

"Relax your face." Quinn said with a flat tone.

Clearing her throat, Rachel settled back into her position as Quinn finished her drawing. When she was done, she smiled up to Rachel and nodded. Rachel stood up, put her robe back on, and walked over to the blonde.

Leaning over Quinn's shoulder, Rachel gasped at the drawing. "It's… Gorgeous."

"I'm glad you like it."

"I love it." Rachel smiled and kissed Quinn on the cheek. "For your time." the brunette said, holding out ten cents.

Quinn rolled her eyes at the other woman. "No thank you, this one is on the house."

"I insist." Rachel replied, still holding the dime out.

"I'm sure we can think of another way you can pay me for this."

This time, Rachel's face blushed as she retracted the coin and grabbed the drawing. Enclosing it in a paper jacket, she placed it in the safe with some of her other valuables. Then, she went toward the changing area to put her clothes back on. Quinn was waiting patiently in the sitting room when there was a loud knock at the door. Rachel came running out, still working on the buttons for her shirt.

There was a faint sound of a man's voice that Rachel recognized as Noah's. "Shit." she said with a hushed tone, grabbing Quinn's hand and leading her through the hallway and various adjoining rooms. Closing a door behind them, they could hear Noah walking around the sitting room.

Quinn and Rachel looked at each other for a moment and when they thought they were in the clear, they began to giggle. Just as soon as they made a sound, they could hear the footsteps getting closer to where they were. Rachel took Quinn's hand again and they fled the room into the main hallway, hurrying toward the staircase.

Climbing the stairs, Quinn kept looking behind them to see if Noah was following, but it appeared as though the pair had lost him. Bursting through the doors onto the top deck, Quinn finally felt safe enough to laugh. Rachel was nearly in tears from the excitement and adrenaline of running from her fiance… her _ex_ fiance's right hand man.

They held each other as they walked toward the front of the ship where they had watched the sunset earlier. The night was cold and bitter, but it didn't bother them as they remained close to each other.

Quinn looked around the deck and realized they were completely alone. Pulling Rachel away from her just enough to look into her eyes, the blonde smiled. "Dance with me?"

Rachel laughed at the idea. "Don't be silly."

"Dance with me." Quinn repeated, her hazel eyes piercing into Rachel's.

"But there's no music." Rachel replied, more seriously than before.

Quinn let her smile grow as she took Rachel's hand in hers and wrapped her other arm around her neck. Sliding her arm around the brunettes waist, Quinn pulled her close again. As they began to glide slowly around the deck, Rachel could hear Quinn softly singing.

_Oh, say, let us fly, dear_

_Where, kid? To the sky, dear_

_Ship ahoy, oh joy, what a feeling_

_Up she goes, up she goes_

_Balance yourself like a bird on a beam_

_In the air she goes, there she goes_

Rachel smiled into the nook of Quinn's neck. She had heard the song before, but as Quinn was singing it now, it was her new favorite sound.

x

**A/N: I probably wont update until next weekend... BUT, if you tell me what you thought of the chapters so far, I'll consider updating faster. The last few chapters are... Well, they're something. ;) Positive feedback or critics, both are welcome. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone! I didn't get many reviews since the last update, so that's why you're only getting this now. =/**

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**x**

Quinn and Rachel stayed out on the deck for hours, dancing together to any song Quinn could remember the lyrics to. Even though Rachel didn't want to leave, she couldn't bare the cold any longer as for most of the night, she only had her shawl over her shoulders. The blonde offered her jacket, but when she still got cold, Rachel suggested they go back to Quinn's room since it was obvious she couldn't go back to hers.

Hand in hand, the pair began walking down the upper sun deck. Rachel looked over to Quinn, who was smiling into the distance.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked curiously.

"I never told you, did I?"

"Told me what?"

Quinn laughed quietly before turning to face Rachel. "How I got here." The brunette continued her confused stare. "I won us tickets thirty minutes before the Titanic left dock."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows. "And how did you do that?"

"A lucky hand at poker." Quinn said proudly, winking at Rachel. "A _very_ lucky hand."

Just then, they felt the ship shake beneath them. Rachel looked up to Quinn with a puzzled look on her face.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know." Quinn replied, shaking her head and holding onto the brunettes hand tighter. "Shit!" she yelled, pulling Rachel behind her. "Get back!"

Just then, large chunks of ice fell onto the deck. Quinn looked up in horror as she watched the enormous iceberg scrap along the ship.

Mindlessly walking to and leaning over the side of the deck, they stared along the ship at the disappearing iceberg. The shaking had stopped and all was quiet. Rachel looked at Quinn with her eyebrows furrowed. "Have the engines stopped?"

"Come on." she tugged on Rachel's hand, turning back toward the staircase. When they passed several frantic crew members, Quinn glanced down at the brunette and swallowed hard. She knew that something terrible had gone wrong. "We need to get down to Santana and Britt."

A few minutes later, the pair reached room _360_ just to find it empty. "Dammit!" Quinn yelled, rubbing her temple.

"Where do you think she could have gone?" Rachel asked. "Britt's room?"

"I-I…" Quinn paced back and forth until she noticed that all of the life jackets were missing. "They were here…" she muttered aloud. "They must have just left."

"How do you know that?"

"When we first got aboard the ship," Quinn recalled. "I remember there being four life jackets, one for each of us… There aren't any left, meaning that Britt has the fourth one. They're probably looking for me…for us."

Quinn exited her room with Rachel in tow and walked back the same way they came from. However, in the time they spent in _360_, the ship staff closed the gate on the staircase leading to the next level.

Rachel looked to Quinn. "Why did they close the gates?"

Quinn didn't have a response, but she knew that they had to get higher on the ship. "Follow me." she directed, running toward another stairwell.

Unfortunately, when they got their, staff members had already closed and locked the gate. "No!" Quinn yelled, running her hand through her hair. "No no no…"

"Quinn?!" the blonde heard a voice behind her. It was Santana and Britt. "Quinn, what the hell is happening?!"

"An iceberg." Rachel whispered. "We hit an iceberg."

"What?!" Santana screamed, redirecting her attention to the staff on the other side of the gates. "And you're just locking us down here to _die_?!"

"No." Quinn seethed, pushing her way over to the large, wooden bench down the hall. "We're…not…dying…here…" she said, using all her strength to try and pry the bench from the floor.

Britt, Santana, and a few men helped Quinn peel the bench away from it's foundation. Lifting it up, they carried the furniture toward the stairway as Rachel cleared a path for them.

"Hey!" one of the staff yelled. "Put that down! You can't do that!"

Ignoring the man's orders, Quinn shouted "One, Two, Three!" and they thrusted the bench into the gate. After four attempts, the gate buckled and they were able to escape into next level.

"Take my hand, Rachel." Quinn insisted, helping the brunette over the bench and into the hallway. "We have to get up to the boat deck."

"Here." Santana looked over her shoulder, her arm stretched behind her with a life jacket in her hand.

Quinn smiled and took it. Her smile quickly faded when she remembered that both her and Rachel didn't have one. "Put this on." she said as she slipped the life jacket over Rachel's head and began tying it while they were walking.

"What about you?" Rachel pleaded.

"I'm a survivor, alright?" Quinn forced another smile onto her face. "I'll be fine."

As the group ran through one of the now empty cigar rooms, Rachel called out. "Wait wait!" The other three women stopped and looked back to the brunette, who was staring at an older man by the fireplace. Quinn look toward Santana and Britt. "You guys go ahead, find a boat. We'll catch up." The couples nodded at each other as they parted.

"Mr. Evans…" Rachel cried, stepping forward to the older man.

"Rachel." he frowned.

"Why aren't you out there?" the woman asked.

"Remember what I told you before?" Mr. Evans leaned onto the mantel. "Twenty life boats."

"Yes, I remember."

"There are maybe a handful left, and I told the Captain to only allow women and children." Rachel's eyes grew wide, now knowing her new friends fate. "You really should hurry. Find your friends. Good luck to you, Rachel."

"And to you." she said, giving the man one final hug before accepting Quinn's hand and rushing out the revolving doors.

Once on the boat deck, Quinn looked around frantically for Santana and Britt. They ran to one side of the ship and didn't see any of the twenty life boats remaining. Quickly returning to the other side, Quinn jumped on one of the utility boxes to look over the crowd.

Rachel was trying to crane her neck when she felt someone touch her from behind. Spinning around, she saw Santana behind her, uneasy, pale, and shaking. The brunette pulled the other woman in for a hug. When they parted, her gaze traveled down Santana's life jacket and Rachel gasped in horror. The preserver was covered in blood.

Quinn jumped down off the box and began running her hands over Santana's torso. "What happened?" She yelled over the screams of the other passengers. "You're shot!" she cried as her fingers felt a small hole on the front of the life jacket.

Santana remained silent as Quinn stared at her, trying to understand what occurred in the minutes that they were separated. Rachel, however, knew what had happened.

"Where's Britt?"

x

**A/N: So, what do you guys think?! Don't forget to review! Next chapter, you'll find what Santana had to do to survive!**

**You'll also notice that from this chapter on, the story has very different scenes than in the movie. I hope you like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**x**

_Quinn looked to Santana and Britt. "You guys go ahead, find a boat. We'll catch up." The darker girl nodded to her friend; part of her knew that there was a chance she'd never see her again._

_The pair ran out of the revolving doors and onto the hectic boat deck. Santana looked left then right, right then left. "Women and children only!" they heard in the distance. Squeezing Britt's hand, she turned to her lover. "Over here." Choosing to go left, Santana pushed her way through the mob toward the life boats._

_"Women and children only!" they heard again as they finally reached the front of the crowd. Suddenly, shot rang out and a man that was climbing the ropes dropped to the deck. As the women looked at the deceased man in horror, the people behind them continued pushing and shoving, becoming more agitated despite the staffer waving a gun._

_Just then, the crowd behind Santana threw her off balance and tumbling into Britt. Another shot rang out. Santana watched in slow motion as Britt slid out of her hands and down to her knees before falling completely over onto her side. _

_Santana brought her glaring gaze to the staffer, whose hand still held the smoking hot gun. She wanted to lunge forward, wrestle the gun out of his shaking hands and bludgeon him until his last breath left his lungs. Instead, she opened her mouth to scream at him, but nothing came out._

_She fell to her knees and wrapped Britt's limp body in her arms. Holding the woman she had felt so much for in the short days they spent together, Santana wept. They were so close to being saved that Santana had even felt a sense of relief before the first shot was heard. After all, they were women. Their seats on the life boat were waiting for them just a few feet away. If only Santana hadn't lost her balance… If only she hadn't knocked Britt forward… If only… _

_Another gun shot fired, causing Santana to remember where she was again. The ship beneath her was still going down, she was still alive, and she needed to get back to Quinn and Rachel._

_Cupping Britt's head, Santana brought her lips down to the blonde's cold cheek and gave her one last kiss goodbye. The darker girl untied Britt's life jacket and pushed through the crowd, back to the revolving doors of the cigar room._

_Still in a form of daze, Santana watched people run past her as if time were slowed down again. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her friend climb onto something and beginning to look over the sea of people. Santana walked almost mindlessly toward Quinn until Rachel came into view. Standing behind the brunette, she tugged on Rachel's arm._

_Rachel spun around to face her and as soon as their eyes connected, she was pulled into a hug. Santana closed her eyes for a brief second. Her mind twisted reality, making it as if Britt was the woman holding her. As fast as the pleasant feeling swept over her, her mind flashed images of Britt's lifeless body. Instantly, she opened her eyes again._

_By now, Quinn had jumped down and was feeling all over Santana's torso. The blonde's mouth was moving, but she couldn't make out what the other woman was saying. Quinn stopped suddenly, put Santana at her arms length and stared directly into the darker woman's eyes. Rachel was standing just behind the blonde; A single tear was crawling down her cheek._

_Quinn spoke again, but this time, Santana heard exactly what she said._

"Where's Britt?"

Santana replied slowly in a low, emotionless voice. "She's gone."

Rachel let out a sob as she covered her mouth and allowed more tears to fall. Quinn's heart sank, finally understanding what had happened while they were separated. Swallowing hard and fighting the urge to cry herself, Quinn knew that she had to get her girls safely off the ship.

Looking down the deck again, Quinn saw that the last life boat had been cast, causing even more chaos. "We need to move." she said, taking each woman's hand in hers and running toward the back of the ship. Once they were past all the deployment stations for the life boats, Quinn went to the side and looked down to where they came from.

At this point, the ship's bow was becoming increasingly submerged and the stern was rising. Quinn knew how cold the water was and how much of a chance they wouldn't have if they jumped now. Turning to the other women, she yelled overtop the screams. "We have to stay on the ship as long as possible!"

Quinn began pushing in the direction of the rear of the ship, her hands still firmly holding Rachel and Santana in tow.

They reached the stern just as the back end was significantly rising above the water. Inspecting the railing and a nearby post, Quinn untied part of a dangling rope and secured it around the rail and her chest just under her shoulders.

"Hold onto me." she instructed the other two. Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn as tight as she could. Looking around them, she brought her gaze to the blonde's.

"Quinn…" she said softly. "This is where we first met."

Staring blankly at the brunette for a brief moment, Quinn let out a laugh. Even with everything going on around them, Rachel somehow was able to think of their favorite shared memory. Ironically to Quinn, the last time they were here, she was trying to convince Rachel to step away from the edge. Now, Quinn was doing everything she could to keep them there.

As the ship continued to rise, people around them started to slip from the railing and slide down the deck, hitting posts and walls on the way. Rachel whimpered and closed her eyes, burying her head into Quinn's chest.

In the distance, they could hear crunching and breaking, almost as if everything was buckling beneath them. Suddenly, with one loud ripping sound, the ship tore in half. Everyone began screaming as the stern was sent plummeting back to the ocean below.

The three women stared back and forth at each other as the boat stopped moving all together. A few moments later, the rear began to rise out of the water again. Realizing that they were about to become vertical, Quinn called out. "Grab onto the railing!"

Quickly, the blonde climbed onto the other side of the rail. Holding her arm out to Rachel, she yelled. "Give me your hand, I'll pull you over!"

Rachel grabbed onto Quinn's hand and was starting to climb when Quinn saw Santana's hands slipping. Releasing one of her hands from Rachel, Quinn put it through the bars and caught Santana just as her fingers gave way.

"I got you." Quinn managed through her clenched jaw. "I got you…"

Santana's eyes grew wide as she looked up to her friend, who was now struggling with supporting the weight of both her and Rachel. The darker girl turned her head to face the brunette for a moment before returning her gaze to Quinn.

"Let me go."

"What?!" Rachel and Quinn said in unison.

"Let me go." Santana said, slower and with her eyes focused on Quinn.

"No!" the blonde yelled, shaking her head at the thought.

"Quinn," Santana's eyes had gone soft. "You can't hold onto us both."

"I'm not letting you go!" Quinn said angrily, gripping tighter on both of her girls.

"You two need to survive."

"We're all getting off this boat, together!"

"Please, Santana…" Rachel pleaded.

Quinn kept struggling, trying to adjust her body. Everything seemed to be slowed down to her. She could see people falling from beside her, past the two women in her arms. From where she was, she was unable to do anything but watch as the ocean swallowed the ship. Focusing back on her girls, she saw Rachel looking up to her, pleading with her eyes for Quinn not to let either of them go. Santana's voice sped time up again and took Quinn by surprise.

"Let me be with Britt." Santana

The blonde stared at her friend, whose softened eyes now held a sense of peacefulness, almost as if Santana had forgotten where they were and what letting go meant. However, Quinn knew she didn't forget where Britt was.

"I need to be with Britt." Santana spoke clearly.

Quinn shook her head violently as tears started to fall down her face. "I'm… not letting… you go…" she managed to say.

"It's okay… I'm ready." the darker girl smiled calmly.

"No…" Quinn replied, sobbing. "I-I can't."

Turning to Rachel, Santana looked directly into the brunettes eyes. "Take good care of my girl, will ya?"

Rachel moved her head from side to side in disbelief as inaudible pleas left her lips.

"I love you." Santana whispered up to Quinn before opening her hands and slipping out of Quinn's grip.

Rachel screamed as she watched Santana drop from beside her. Quinn squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see her best friend die.

The ship was completely vertical now and Quinn knew that Rachel had to get over the railing or she would have the same fate as Santana.

Opening her eyes, Quinn looked down at Rachel and yelled with urgency. "You have to pull yourself up."

"I-I can't." she sobbed.

"I wont let go of you." Quinn stared directly into the brunettes eyes. "I've got you."

Putting her trust in Quinn, Rachel pulled herself toward the railing and grabbed hold. With all of her strength, Quinn swung Rachel over. The blonde held onto Rachel, vowing in her mind that she would never let her girl leave her side again.

"What's happening, Quinn?" Rachel paniced, now seeing the view Quinn had for the last several moments.

"I-I don't know, I don't know!" she replied. Clearing her mind, Quinn turned to Rachel and breathed out slowly. "The ship… it's going to suck us down with it."

"What do we do?"

"When I say, take a really deep breath." Quinn instructed. "You kick to the surface as hard as you can, got it?" Rachel nodded. "And don't let go of my hand."

As each second passed, the ship sunk further and further into the ocean. Wringing the railing nervously, Quinn blinked slowly. She knew that her chances of survival were very slim, especially since she's going to have to kick against the suction without a life jacket.

"Rachel…" Quinn said softly. "Winning that ticket was the best thing to ever happen to me." The blonde had the most sincere, loving look in her eyes. "It brought me to you."

Feeling an overwhelming sensation throughout her body, Rachel leaned in for a kiss when Quinn yelled "This is it!" as the water was nearing the rear of the ship.

Rachel's smile faded as she looked from Quinn down to the rapidly rising water, hoping she would get another chance to give her their first kiss. Once the water was close enough that Quinn could feel the mist on her face, she screamed. "Now!"

**X**

**A/N: Wow, that was an intense chapter to write. I wasn't sure at first how I was going to do it, but there it is. Santana's development and acceptance of Quinn having feelings for Rachel was hopefully shown. I had her tell Quinn before that she needed to let Rachel go, and in this chapter, Santana realized that Quinn couldn't do that. I felt like Santana would be someone to give her life for her best friends happiness, and I hope you all got that from the scene. And, of course, she wanted to be where Britt was.**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

_April 10th, 1923_

Just as the whistle blew, Rachel gathered her suitcase and boarded the train. It was the first of four days she would be on the road. Sitting by the window, she watched quietly as the trees began to pass at an increasing speed and allowed her to drift asleep.

_"Quinn!" The screams of hundreds of other stranded passengers drowned out her voice. "Quinn!" she yelled again, but to no avail._

_Looking around the water frantically, Rachel couldn't see Quinn anywhere. Suddenly, the brunette was pushed underwater. Kicking and flailing her arms, Rachel managed to come back up to the surface for moment before being pushed down again. Working her body out from the persons grip, Rachel turned to face the man. "Stop!" she yelled, but he proceeded to swim toward her. Fearing that he'd pull her down again, she lifted her arm behind her and punched him directly in his nose. The man sank onto his back, floating unconscious in the water._

_Refocusing her attention, Rachel began to swim in all directions, continuously yelling for Quinn. She spent several minutes wading in the water, looking through the large crowd of terrified faces, not recognizing a single one of them. Rachel's body started to ache and she knew that if she didn't find a way out of the water soon, she would surely freeze to death. Quinn taught her that._

_Swimming away from most of the people, Rachel found a large chunk of what seemed to be a wall or a door frame. Shaking, she crawled on top of it as best as she could. Keeping her eyes on the water, the brunette called out again. "Quinn!"_

"Miss?"

"Miss?"

Rachel woke up to find an older man standing before her and that the train had stopped. "Where are we?" she asked kindly, rubbing her eyes.

"Pittsburgh, Miss."

"Thank you." she nodded, getting up out of her seat and grabbing her luggage. Hopping off the train, she looked around for something to do for the next 3 hours. She decided to get something to eat at a diner a few blocks away.

Selecting a booth by the windows, Rachel pulled out her current reading book, _Main Street_ by Sinclair Lewis, as she waited for her order to be taken.

Once boarded on her next train, it took Rachel a little longer to fall asleep. Her dreams often lead her to memories of ten years ago. Most of the time, she welcomed sleep because it brought _her_ back. Lately, however, pleasant dreams turned into nightmares.

_Balancing on the wooden board, Rachel kept her eyes on the people bobbing in the water._ _Silence had swept over the ocean as minutes passed. She watched people just a few feet away from her slowly die, and she couldn't bare to watch another go. Turning slowly to lay on her back, she faced toward the sky. "Up she goes, up she goes…" the brunette sang in a whisper. "Balance yourself like a bird on a beam, in the air she goes, there she goes…"_

_Part of Rachel thought that if she kept singing, maybe Quinn would hear her through the silence and come to her. She needed to believe that they were going to survive. After all they had been through in such a short amount of time, Rachel couldn't imagine a future without Quinn in it._

_In the distance, there was a muffled sound. Rachel stopped singing and listened closer, but heard nothing. For a moment, she thought she was going insane, or that maybe the cold was finally taking over her._

_Then, she heard it again._

_"Is anyone alive out there?"_

_Turning her body in the direction of the voices, Rachel saw a moving light hovering above the water. Squinting, she was able to see that the light was coming from a life boat. Her eyes grew wide and she tried to call out to it. "Over… Here…" but her voice was weak from calling for Quinn._

_Rachel's heart began to race when she noticed that the life boat was heading away from her. She tried again. "Come back." her voice squeaked. "Come back…"_

_It was too late. The boat had already started in the other direction and the light was getting more and more faint. Rachel laid her head back down on the wood. This was it. This was the moment she knew she was going to die._

_As she watched the life boat slowly disappear, a small glint caught her eye. She sat up again, trying to see what the object was, then she remembered._

_Sliding off the wooden board, Rachel used the rest of her energy to swim as hard as she could. The water sent chills throughout her body, but that didn't matter. She knew she needed to push a little harder. She knew she needed to go just a little further. For all she knew, Quinn was on that boat. There was no doubt in her mind that Quinn had come back for her._

_Finally reaching the lifeless body, Rachel lifted her arm out of the water and grabbed the object from the man's hand. She held it to her mouth and blew, but no sound came out. Frantically, she tried to warm it with her breath, hoping that was all that she needed to do. If this didn't work, the boat would be gone; Quinn would be gone._

_*dampened whistle*_

_Rachel's eyes grew wide at the sound and her hands clenched the object tighter. She could see the boat shine their light in her direction. This was it. This was the moment she knew she was going to be saved, and she wouldn't stop blowing until they were pulling her out of the water._

_*whistle*_

_*whistle*_

Rachel shook awake and looked down at her empty hands.

*train whistle*

Wringing her fingers together, she could still feel the pain in her knuckles from the cold that night. Sometimes, she could feel the pain in her entire body. She looked out the window to the night sky and eventually fell back asleep.

_Wrapped in blankets, Rachel laid flat in the life boat that saved her and stared up at the sky. Her body was still numb, both physically and emotionally, but she still marveled at the stars. She had never seen them that bright before. _

_Suddenly, a green flare crossed her sights and she looked over to one of the staffers in the boat. He was waving his arms and shouting. Sitting up slowly, Rachel looked to see what he was trying to attract. A ship was getting larger and larger as it came into view._

_By the time they boarded the ship, the Carpathia, the sun was beginning to rise. Rachel remained on the deck, wrapped in dry blankets and staring over the ocean. The sunrise was beautiful like the sunset the night before, but there was an emptiness in her heart that she feared would never be filled again._

_"Miss?" she heard from behind her. Turning around, she saw a man standing timidly with a clipboard. "May I take your name, Miss?"_

_"Rachel." the brunette said calmly. "Rachel Corcoran."_

_"Thank you." he muttered before turning to leave. Rachel was going to let him walk away without asking, mostly because part of her didn't want to actually know the truth. But when she stuck her hands into the jacket pockets, she felt something cold against her skin. Pulling the object out, she looked down and saw Quinn's watch. She had forgotten in the middle of everything, she still had Quinn's jacket on._

_"Wait!" she called out._

_"Yes?" he asked kindly._

_"Would you…" Rachel said softly. "Could I possibly ask if someone is…"_

_"Of course." the man smiled with a sense of pity, as if he already knew the person she was looking for wouldn't be on the list."_

_"Her name is… Quinn, Quinn Fabray."_

_The seconds it took him to skim the list of names felt like minutes, hours, days… Then, he finally spoke up._

_"I'm sorry, Miss." he frowned, shaking his head._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I sincerely hope you all enjoy the final chapter! It was a pleasure to write for you all. xx**

* * *

_April 14th, 1923_

Rachel woke up to the sun shining on her face. It was her first morning in California. When she arrived the night before, she found a decent inn to stay at in a town called Venice.

Today was the day she was going to see the Pier for the first time. It had taken her a while to come here, after all, she wasn't supposed to be here alone. At first, she decided not to ever go to California, that the west was just a place her and Quinn talked about seeing together, and Rachel was never to see it alone. But now, ten years to the day, she needed to be here. She needed to be somewhere that might bring her closer to Quinn. Her dreams take her back to the time they spent together, but her conscious thoughts were fading more and more each year that passed.

Taking the electric trolley to Santa Monica, Rachel walked down to the pier. It was nothing and everything that she had imagined. The band organ music was loud and cheerful while people walked up and down the planks. There was more than just a carrousel, there was a roller coaster and a bowling alley._ If only Quinn was here. _Come to think of it, Rachel didn't even know if Quinn knew how to bowl.

"I could really use that beer…" Rachel chuckled to herself. Quinn would roll over in her grave if she were alive to know that alcohol became illegal.

Suddenly, Rachel froze misstep. _This isn't possible… _she thought to herself. She blinked repeatedly, hoping that her mind would be done playing tricks on her. However, her vision didn't change at all and the brunettes eyes began to tear up.

Sitting along the beginning of the pier was a lone woman, charcoal in hand, watching as people passed. Rachel began to walk toward the blonde, still blinking as if to erase the image from her mind. A tear escaped down her cheek as she stopped, two feet away from the crouched woman.

"Quinn?"

The woman looked up at Rachel with furrowed eyebrows. Rachel stared back at the girl in disbelief. Standing up, the blonde walked to within inches of Rachel.

"May I help you?"

Rachel looked at this stranger with new eyes. She had blonde hair, a beautiful smile, a slim figure… But she was not Quinn.

"No… I-I'm sorry." Rachel sighed softly as she turned away from the confused stranger.

Walking along the pier, Rachel looked out to the ocean. This was the first time she had ever seen this ocean. It didn't look much bigger than the Atlantic, even though she knew it was. The breeze came off the ocean and gently grazed by her face.

_"Come here. I want to show you something."_

Rachel walked over to the edge of the pier.

_"Close your eyes."_

She closed her eyes as she leaned into the wind and allowed her memories to take over her mind.

_"Do you trust me?"_

Rachel breathed in deeply and exhaled before taking a step up onto the railing.

_"Now… Open your eyes."_

In the distance, she could see dolphins jumping and playing in the water. She smiled softly, remembering every little detail from the time Quinn and her spent together. This was the first time she had felt consciously close to Quinn in ten years, and she never wanted to let this feeling go.

She spent hours along the pier, remembering every sound she heard and breath she took with the blonde. When she assumed it was well past midnight, Rachel glanced down at the pocket watch, which had read 2:21 a.m. for the past ten years. Looking out across the ocean one last time, she decided to go back to her room for the night.

Turning her back to the water, Rachel slipped her shawl over her shoulders. The pier was empty except for a handful of people, most of which were couples enjoying the night together. Rachel sighed as she started to walk.

She hadn't gone more than a few steps before something down on the beach caught her attention. Going over to the edge, she squinted her eyes and looked down. The stranger was walking along the beach toward the pier, allowing the waves to break at their ankles. Something was oddly familiar about this stranger. Their posture, their walk, the way they stopped and looked out over the water…

_It's not possible_… Rachel thought to herself, closing her eyes. _Not again._

When she opened them, the stranger was looking up to the pier at her. Rachel returned glances, deeply saddened by her mind playing tricks on her. The stranger continued to stare at her when they took their hat off and placed it over their chest, revealing short, wavy blonde hair.

Rachel gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as tears started to form in her eyes. Her heart began pounding hard and her breathing became heavy and difficult. Whipping her body around, she buried her face in her hands. _No…_ she scolded. _Don't do this to yourself._

The woman sobbed quietly before wiping away her tears. She needed to go back to her room, and while she wanted to be in a place that reminded her of Quinn, she couldn't handle literally seeing her almost lover everywhere she looked and in every blonde she saw.

Pushing off from the railing, Rachel brought her gaze up toward the front of the pier. Standing in the distance was another lone figure. _Ignore it._ Rachel told herself as she started to walk. The stranger on the other end began walking at the same time Rachel did.

She furrowed her eyebrows at the figure as a shiver crossed her entire body. The stranger took their hat off, once again revealing blonde hair. As the two closed the distance between each other, Rachel was beginning to make out the other person's face. Tears began to fall again as the brunette broke into a run.

Rachel threw herself into the stranger and wrapped her arms around their neck. She didn't care that this person wasn't Quinn, she had an overwhelming need to be held and the need to not be alone anymore.

_Oh, say, let us fly, dear _

_To the sky, dear_

The stranger pulled Rachel away from her and to her arms length. Looking into the brunettes eyes, the stranger spoke. "What took you so long?"

**Edit: I had an alternate ending to this, however, my computer never saved it and I lost it... So this is it. I can explain what it means if you want to send me a PM, other than that, hope it was a good read for you. :D**


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